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2011 Highlights
Expanding the Foothold in the Field:
Join Together Launches
On April 4, The Partnership at Drugfree.org
announced that Join Together, a leader in
bringing effective drug and alcohol prevention
and treatment programs to communities
nationwide, became part of our organization.
Providing the latest news and headlines,
research briefs, original in-depth reporting and
featured commentaries on drug and alcohol
issues free to more than 50,000 subscribers
each week, Join Together also operates widely
used self-screening and brief intervention
websites. The service can be found at
drugfree.org/jointogether and individuals can
sign up to receive the JT Daily or JT Weekly
eNewsletters at drugfree.org/enewsletters.
Illuminating Research: National Study Confirms Teen Drug Use
Trending in Wrong Direction
Following a decade of steady declines, the
22nd annual Partnership Attitude Tracking
Study (PATS) indicated that teen drug and
alcohol use is headed in the wrong direction,
with marked increases in teen use of
marijuana and Ecstasy over the past three
years.
The most recent data from the nationally
projectable PATS study also underscored
alarming patterns in early adolescent alcohol
use and found that teens view drinking
alcohol – even heavy drinking – as less risky
than using other substances.
The study, which surveyed more than 2,500
teens and 800 parents, was sponsored by
MetLife Foundation and received notable
press coverage.
Successful Education Programs: Study Demonstrates Effectiveness of Parents360 Program
A new study demonstrated the effectiveness
of Parents360, a prevention program that
educates and equips parents and other
caregivers to be better able to deal with their
teens on drug and alcohol issues.
This groundbreaking study revealed that test
group parents had significantly greater
increases in the important measures of
knowledge of substance abuse and related
resources, and in confidence in their ability to
communicate with their teens on this issue,
than did control group parents.
Mike Townsend, EVP and Director of
Community Education Programs, discusses
the findings.
New Facebook Forum: Meet The Parents Hour
Meet The Parents Hour, a new social media
event, made its debut in 2011. The event
features a live chat and Q&A session hosted
on our Facebook page.
These bi-monthly events provide an online
forum where parents and others interested in
discussing substance abuse and addiction
can connect, share and learn about our
important health issue in real time.
Meet The Parents Hour has featured moms
and dads, siblings of those who have faced
addiction and individuals in recovery, all
sharing their stories and personal insights
with our growing Facebook community.
Support, Courage and Hope: You Are Not Alone Campaign
This year, we launched a new,
transformative campaign calling on all those
affected by addiction – individuals, families,
communities and organizations – to come
forward and help our kids in need.
You Are Not Alone comes to life in a
collection of stories, each one a message to
families of the 11 million teens or young
adults who are struggling with substance
abuse. This public storytelling brings
together the millions who have been directly
impacted by addiction with those families
who currently have a teen who needs help.
New, Direct Service for Parents: The Bilingual Parents Toll-Free Helpline Goes Live
We were thrilled to launch a new, first-of-its-
kind, bilingual helpline this September,
specifically for parents and caregivers of
teens/young adults who are struggling with
drug and alcohol addiction.
The Parents Toll-Free Helpline – 1-855-
DRUGFREE – (1-855-378-4373) is staffed by
social workers with practical experience in
substance abuse prevention and treatment.
These specialists offer direct services and
expert advice to help parents plan a course of
action for teens who are facing substance
abuse.
New, Powerful Video: Families’ Stories of Teen Addiction
Together with Moo Studios, Consulate
Film Editing and director Pamela Hanson,
The Partnership at Drugfree.org
developed a poignant, brief documentary
video highlighting the true stories of
people who have faced teen
addiction. Those featured speak candidly
about their experience with substance
abuse – some are in recovery
themselves, others have helped friends or
family members recover and some have
lost loved ones to the disease.
Watch the video and share with friends. It
sheds light on a disease that is too often
kept in the dark.
Support Across the Country: New Parent Ambassador Program
This year, we kicked off our new Parent
Ambassador Program. Our Parent Ambassadors
form a network of parents who volunteer their time
to inspire and provide help and hope to other
parents who are struggling with the issue of teen
addiction.
There are currently 20 Parent Ambassadors, and
each and every one of them has been impacted by
addiction in some way – whether they have lost a
child to substance abuse or are currently helping
their teen through recovery.
This unique group of individuals works together to
mentor and support parents across the country.
“When I was asked to be a Parent Ambassador, it was not a hard decision. I was being asked to help
those parents out of a violent storm. I was
being asked to be one of the people to help other
parents, just as I was helped a few years
before. What an honor.”
-Ron Grover, Parent Ambassador
A New Perspective on Teen Addiction:
“Emotional Drugs” PSA Campaign
Parents’ emotions – avoidance,
fear, enabling, shame – are just as
powerful and dangerous as drugs,
and they can prevent even the most
well-intentioned parent from taking
action and addressing their child’s
substance use.
Directed by Phil Joanou, Jr., the
son of one of the founding
members of The Partnership at
Drugfree.org, this documentary-
style campaign flips the perspective
from a parent to a teen, as they test
the boundaries of their parents’
tolerance.
Innovative Resources for Families:
Time To Get Help Website Revamped
This year we redesigned Time To Get Help,
our online community for parents of teens
and young adults in crisis and facing a
child’s addiction. The new homepage
presents an engaging approach
highlighting personal stories from Time To
Get Help community members, now more
than 1,000 strong.
The website also now includes
comprehensive eBooks on intervention and
treatment, along with downloadable
worksheets and checklists to fit the
individual needs of families who are at
different stages in the process of getting
help for their teens.
In Communities and on the Field: 2011 Commissioner’s Play Healthy Award Winners
Susan Mayberry, a youth coach and teacher
from Overland Park, Kansas and Carlos
Umana, a teen athlete from El Paso, Texas,
were honored by The Partnership at
Drugfree.org and Major League Baseball, with
the second annual Commissioner’s Play
Healthy Awards. The award recipients were
recognized at our annual gala at The
Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.
The winners were chosen by a panel of parents,
coaches and industry professionals based on
their spirit of teamwork, dedication and
leadership on and off the playing field. Each is
passionately committed to fair and drug-free
competition and strives to educate their
community about the risks of drug and alcohol
abuse. Learn more about Play Healthy.
Pat Russo of The Partnership at Drugfree.org,
Carlos Umana, Susan Mayberry and David James
of MLB
Celebrating Our Work for Families:
25th Anniversary Gala
We hosted our 25th Anniversary Gala at The
Waldorf=Astoria in New York City, an annual event
to gather and show gratitude to those who support
our important work and have been instrumental in
helping us reach families in need. In attendance
were more than 550 distinguished guests and
friends, and $2 million was raised for our cause.
Hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Scott
Pelley, gala honorees included The New York
Times Company, Home Box Office (HBO) and
GroupM’s Irwin Gotlieb. Actor and author Melissa
Gilbert, The Partnership at Drugfree.org’s national
spokesperson, also shared personal insight and
family stories, and our guests were treated to a
special performance by country music artist,
Hannah Michelle Weeks.